On Faith

On Faith
The Psalmist wrote,

“Praise the LORD, all you nations; 

extol him, all you peoples. 

For great is his love toward us,

 and the faithfulness of the LORD endures forever. 

Praise the LORD.” 

                           Psalm 117:1,2.

Written above is Psalm 117 in it’s entirety. It make it clear that all nations and all peoples should praise God.
The choice however is up to you. God in creating mankind did not make robots programmed to do his bidding.
He made individuals with complete freedom of choice.
He gave each individual the same option. Believe in Him by faith or reject him. The writer of Hebrews stating,

“And without faith it is impossible to please God, 

because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists 

and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” 

                                                          Hebrews 11:6

The writer of Hebrews defining faith as,

“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for

 and certain of what we do not see.”  

                                                Hebrews 11:1

To my way of thinking God asks us to have faith in Him because it is one of the hardest things for an individual to do.
It is very easy to believe in someone or something you see but it is incredibly hard for many people to believe in things they do not see.
Please think about it.

As a Saint or Sinner?

As a Saint or Sinner?
The Psalmist states,
“Say among the nations, “The LORD reigns.” The world is firmly established, it cannot be moved; he will judge the peoples with equity. 
Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad; let the sea resound, and all that is in it; 
let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them. 
Then all the trees of the forest will sing for joy; they will sing before the LORD, for he comes, he comes to judge the earth. 
He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples in his truth.” Psalm 96:10-13. 
The writer of Ecclesiastes states,
“Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole  duty  of man. 
For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.” Ecclesiastes12:13,14.
Make no mistake God will one day judge the world. One day God will judge you and me. The question is will you stand before God as Saint or Sinner?
Jesus speaking of Himself said,
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.  
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.  
Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son”. John 3:16-18.
The apostle John speaking of Jesus said,
“Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—  children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.” John 1:12,13.
Thus the question becomes, Are you a child of God or are you a sinner separated from God?
The apostle Paul wrote,
“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” Romans 3:23. 
That all means all. The apostle John making it clear
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.  
If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.” 1John 1:9-10
The apostle Paul backs up what John is saying when he writes,
“That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.  
For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.”  Romans 10:9,10.
The way I see it as a believer in Christ Jesus is that the way to heaven is by confessing your sins to God. By accepting the saving grace that comes through Jesus Christ.
By doing so you will on judgement day stand before God as a saint, a child of God. 
A saint as one person rightfully told me, is simply a Sinner who has confessed his sins and accepted the Saving Grace of Christ Jesus.
Thus dear reader it is up to you. Will you confess your sins and accept the Saving Grace of Christ, today, or will you on judgement day take your chances when you stand before God?
Please think about it.

A Believers Duty

A Believers Duty

“Sing to the LORD a new song; 

sing to the LORD, all the earth. 

Sing to the LORD, praise his name; 

proclaim his salvation day after day. 

Declare his glory among the nations, 

his marvelous deeds among all peoples. 

For great is the LORD and most worthy of praise; 

he is to be feared above all gods. 

For all the gods of the nations are idols, 

but the LORD made the heavens. 

Splendor and majesty are before him;

 strength and glory are in his sanctuary.”

                                                                   Psalm 96:1-6.

It is the duty of believers in Christ Jesus to declare God’s glory among the nations.
Jesus said,
“Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.  
Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,  and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:18-20.
As believers in Christ. As believers in God. We must present our faith and belief in God to all the world in word and in deed.
Francis of Assisi said,

“The deeds you do

 may be the only sermon some persons will hear today” 

                                                                         Francis of Assisi.

The book of acts speaking of the early church records,
“They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.  
Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles.  
All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need.  
Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts,  praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. 
And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.” Acts 2:42-47.
Believers in Christ Jesus have a great responsibility. We are called to tell the world about the Saving Grace that comes through Christ Jesus. As such we should be following the words of the apostle Peter who wrote,
“Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul.  
Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.” 1 Peter 2:11,12.
People whether we like it or not are watching anyone who calls themselves Christians. Who claim to be a follower of Christ.
It is through the lense of our life as believers that people will see Christ. Thus it is incumbent on us to present the Gospel of Christ in word, in deed and above all in Love.
Please think about it.

Let us sing to The Lord

Let us sing to The Lord
The Psalmist writes,

“Come, let us sing for joy to the LORD; 

let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation. 

Let us come before him with thanksgiving 

and extol him with music and song. 

For the LORD is the great God, 

the great King above all gods. 

In his hand are the depths of the earth,

 and the mountain peaks belong to him. 

The sea is his, for he made it, 

and his hands formed the dry land. 

Come, let us bow down in worship, 

let us kneel before the LORD our Maker; 

for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, 

the flock under his care. 

                                           Psalm 95:1-7

Here is a Psalm of praise to God. The Psalm of a believer to the Lord God Almighty. The Creator of heaven and earth.
As a believer in God I think it is the duty of every believer to praise God, not just in church but at other times also.
We as believers in God are called to live a life and lifestyle that is acceptable to God. A life of Love for God, ones neighbours and even ones enemies.
Jesus when asked,
“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” 
Jesus replied: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’  
This is the first and greatest commandment.  
And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’  
All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” Matthew 22:36-40.
In the book of Deuteronomy we read,
“Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.  
These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts.  
Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.”  Deuteronomy 6:5-7.
Jesus took this concept of Love one step further saying,
“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’  
But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,...” Matthew 5:43,44.
The apostle Peter states,
“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.  
Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. 
Dear friends,
 I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul.  
Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.” 1 Peter 2:9-12.
I believe in living a life of love before all men we will draw individuals to God and the salvation that comes through Christ Jesus.
Please think about it.

On Getting to Heaven

On Getting to Heaven
The Psalmist writes,
“For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. 
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. 
My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.” Psalm 139:13-16.
I have this portion of the psalms written in the front of my Bible. It reminds me that God created me in the my mothers womb. That he if you will, knows my DNA.
God knows why am the way I am. No human being can say that of any person. That’s why I firmly believe no one has the right to judge me or anyone else. Especially when it comes to where I will spend eternity.
Billy Graham the great American evangelist said,

“It is the Holy Spirits Job to Convict, 

God’s job to judge

 and my job to love,” 

                          Billy Graham

I believe anyone can get to heaven no matter who they are their ethnicity, their lifestyle or their sexual orientation.
The God I serve is a God of love. That’s why he sent his one and only Son Jesus Christ into the world. Jesus speaking of himself said,
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.  
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” John 3:16,17.
Belief, faith, in God and the acceptance of the saving grace God offers through Jesus Christ is the only criteria for getting into heaven. And only the individual an God knows if they are truly saved.
No one, believers in Christ or otherwise, have the right to judge where a person will spend eternity.
Tony Campolo the American evangelist states,
“Let us preach Christ, let us be faithful to proclaiming the Gospel, but let's leave judgment in the hands of God.” Tony Campolo.
Please think about it.

It makes me feel good

It makes me feel good
The Psalmist writes,

Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth. 

Worship the LORD with gladness; 

come before him with joyful songs. 

Know that the LORD is God. 

It is he who made us, and we are his; 

we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. 

Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; 

give thanks to him and praise his name. 

For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; 

his faithfulness continues through all generations. 

                                                                 Psalm 100.

You know there are times when I just like sitting back in a chair and praising God. In years long gone I use to be with a gospel group. In that group I learned to dance. And there are times now that I just like to praise God with dance. Why? Because it make me feel good.
And it allows me to express my love of my God and my Saviour Jesus Christ.
If you claim to be a Christian a believer in God and the Saving Grace that comes through Christ Jesus to do you take time to praise God?
Please think about it.

Psalms, Voltaire, and Billy Graham

Psalms Voltaire, and Billy Graham
The Psalmist writes,

“The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” 

                                                                Psalm 14:1

“The heavens declare the glory of God; 

the skies proclaim the work of his hands.”

                                                       Psalm 19:1

Voltaire wrote,

“I cannot imagine how the clockwork of the universe can exist

 without a clockmaker.”

                                    Voltaire

Billy Graham stated,

I can't prove it scientifically, 

that there's a God, 

but I believe. 

                         Billy Graham.

We may not be able to prove scientifically today in the twenty-first century that there is a God, but that does not preclude His existence.
I was born in the 1950's. at that time black holes, planets in other star systems, many sub atomic particles, that we know of today were unknown. It didn’t mean they didn’t exist. It just meant scientist hadn’t discovered them.
Scientist speculated on their existence because of what they seen in the world around them postulated a theory and quite often had to wait for science to advance to prove they existed.
      Some of Eienstein’s theories were not proven until long after his death. Yet Eienstein and others like him believed in their theories. They believed that they would one day be proven. In short they had faith in their theory.
The writer of Hebrews states,

“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for

 and 

certain of what we do not see.”  

                                          Hebrews 11:1

So it is with believers in God. We look at the orderly universe around us. We see that everything from the largest galaxy to the smallest sub-atomic particle is perfectly in sync with one another to produce life as we know it on this planet.
The conclusion we come to is that there is a Creator God behind it all.
If we are wrong we have nothing to fear.
If we are right we enter into eternity knowing the very maker of the Universe.
Please think about it.

The Beginning of Wisdom

The beginning of Wisdom
The Psalmist writes,

“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; 

all who follow his precepts have good understanding.

 To him belongs eternal praise.” 

                                           Psalm 111: 10.

I believe if more people believed in God and His precepts the world would be a far better place.
In my previous blog I quoted Ecclesiastes 12:13,14 that said,
“Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole  duty  of man. 
For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.” Ecclesiastes12:13,14.
When man loses his fear of God. Fear of ultimate judgement things can go terribly wrong. We only have to look at Adolf Hitler and the Nazis during the second world war. They did not fear judgement. They turned to their own evil ways fearing no one in this world or the next. The result was in excess of fifty-six million plus men women and children murdered in the war and genocide they were responsible for.
They had no fear of God’s judgement. They did not fear God and follow His wisdom.
Think of it if those men and women responsible for starting the second world war and creating the holocaust had just followed one word of advice of Jesus that being,

“So in everything, 

do to others 

what you would have them do to you, 

for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.” 

                                                 Matthew 7:12  

If they and for that matter society in general had followed the teachings of Jesus who when asked,
  “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” 
Jesus replied: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’  
This is the first and greatest commandment. 
And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’  
All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” Matthew 22:36-40
The world would have been a much better place and fifty six million plus people would have lived.
Today in the twenty-first century it is incumbent I believe on all people to seek God’s wisdom to Love God, our neighbour and even our enemy.
I believe if we as individuals and a society would do this the world would be a better place.
Please think about it.

God Exists

God Exists
The Psalmist writes,

“Be still, and know that I am God; 

I will be exalted among the nations, 

I will be exalted in the earth.” 

                                     Psalm 46:10

The writer of Ecclesiastes states,
“Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole  duty  of man. 
For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.” Ecclesiastes12:13,14.
Billy Graham the great American evangelist warned,
“The Bible says today is the accepted time, today is the day of salvation... But there will come a time when it will be too late for you.” Billy Graham.
I am a Christian and the way I see it. You either believe in God, and the Saving Grace that comes through Jesus Christ or you do not. There is no gray area.
The Choice is yours. If God does not exist. If Jesus is not the Christ the Saviour of mankind then you have nothing to fear.
On the other hand if what I and all Christian believe is true you have at the very least something to seriously consider.
Please take some time to read at least the New Testament. Read it with an open mind. Ask God to show His reality to you. Read it to at least see what those early men and women who knew Jesus believed about him and God.
Please think about it.

Praise Him in Word and Deed

Praise Him in Word and Deed
The Psalmist tells believers in God to,

Praise the LORD. 

Praise God in his sanctuary;

 praise him in his mighty heavens. 

Praise him for his acts of power; 

praise him for his surpassing greatness. 

Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet, 

praise him with the harp and lyre, 

praise him with tambourine and dancing,

 praise him with the strings and flute, 

praise him with the clash of cymbals, 

praise him with resounding cymbals. 

Let everything that has breath 

praise the LORD. 

Praise the LORD. 

                              Psalm 150

Here’s a question. Do you praise The Lord in word and in deed?
 Many people praise God in word. But their actions in their daily life do not give praise to God.
The book of Acts notes this about the early church,
“Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts,  praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.” Acts 2:46,47.
The early church kept their eyes fixed on God. As a result “the Lord added to their numbers daily those who were being saved.”
It’s my belief if those who claim to be followers of Christ Jesus today kept their eyes firmly on God. Praising Him and showing unconditional love to those around, many more people would be saved.
Please think about it.

The Clock Maker

The Clock maker
Voltaire wrote,

“I cannot imagine how the clockwork of the universe can exist

 without a clock maker.” 

                           Voltaire.

The Psalmist wrote,

“The heavens declare the glory of God; 

the skies proclaim the work of his hands. 

Day after day they pour forth speech; 

night after night they display knowledge. 

There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard.” 

                                                                     Psalm 19:1-3.

The book of Genesis tells us,

“In the beginning God

 created the heavens and the earth.”

                                              Genesis 1:1.

This is what I believe. I believe there is a God who created the heavens and the earth. I don’t care whether he created it in six twenty-four hour days or through the big bang and billions of years. How he made it is not important to my faith.
I believe God exist period. Full stop.
Admittedly it is an act of faith on my part. That I believe is what God wanted the writer of Hebrews telling us.

“And without faith it is impossible to please God,

 because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists 

and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” 

                                                                    Hebrews 11:6.

Of faith Blaise Pascal wrote,

“In faith there is enough light for those who want to believe

 and enough shadows to blind those who don't.”

                                                                   Blaise Pascal.

I believe having faith in God is the most important thing anyone can do. It, in my opinion has eternal consequences. The nice thing about having faith in God, it cost us absolutely nothing. To quote Pascal again,
“Belief is a wise wager. Granted that faith cannot be proved, what harm will come to you if you gamble on its truth and it proves false? If you gain, you gain all; if you lose, you lose nothing. Wager, then, without hesitation, that He exists.” Blaise Pascal.
Thus the choice is yours.
But before you place your bet. Please, at least read the New Testament, pray and ask God to show you the truth.
Please think about it.

A Bible and a Whisky Bottle

A Bible and a Whisky Bottle

Harper Lee in her book To Kill a Mockingbird said,
“Sometimes the Bible in the hand of one man is worse than a whisky bottle in the hand of (another)...”Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird.
A man with a whisky bottle in his hand, may be drunk, he may get into a bar brawl he may even cause bodily injury or death. As tragic as they are they in themselves have no eternal consequences.
On the other hand a man with a Bible in his hand who is incorrectly quoting scriptures can lead people away from God and the Salvation Christ Jesus brings. He can cause people to give up on God period. Things that have eternal consequences.
The apostle Paul warns,
“For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.  
They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.” 2Timothy 4:3,4.
As Christians we need to be careful how we use the scriptures. We need to make sure we are using scripture in context. Not cherry picking verses to make them say what we feel they should say.
St. Augustine said,
“If you believe what you like in the gospels, and reject what you don’t like, it is not the gospel you believe, but yourself.” St Augustine.
As believers in Christ Jesus people will see God through the lense of our life, of our words and deeds. As Francis of Assisi said,

“The deeds you do

 may be the only sermon some persons will hear today” 

                                                                   Francis of Assisi.

A grave responsibility sits on the shoulders of those who claim to be followers of Christ Jesus. Our words and deeds have eternal consequences.
People will make up their minds as to what they believe about Christ from what we say and do.”
Are you correctly handling the scriptures?
Are you correctly presenting the Love of Christ in word and in deed?
Please think about it.